A Place to Belong
by radangst
Summary: Bianca Bennett was used to hiding who she was. While she could cover the black markings on her ivory skin, this new development might just make being a mutant a little bit harder to hide.


**Hey guys, this is my first story here and I'd really love to hear your feedback if you're willing to review! I'm going to try my best to annually update this story. Please keep in mind that I'm mainly focusing on the Marvel Cinematic Universe and not the comics and that not everything will be completely correct - but please let me know if I make a mistake and I'll try my best to correct it!**

 **Disclaimer : I do not own Marvel or the X-Men Universe.**

The Devil You Know

 **Chapter One : New Beginnings**

Bianca Bennett had been born with markings along her body. No, these were not 'beauty marks' that all humans had. These markings were made of black ink, akin to tattoos.

As a newborn they were delicate and thin, a string of intricate designs along her body. And when she was delivered to her parents, although expecting perfection embodied in one small human being they had received an abomination in their eyes. Horrified, her parents desperately made to cover the babies body with a thick blanket before. When leaving the hospital they had only one thought coursing through their minds ; how would they hide this atrocity from the world? What would people say?

The answer came as Bianca grew older. As of age 5 the bold markings had become thicker and more intricate. Her parents scrambled to think of ways to keep the skin shadowed from sunlight. To keep the marks sheltered from prying eyes. Not a space of skin displaying marks was left uncovered. Bianca lived her life donned in thick clothing to cover every inch that displayed ink.

Nobody could find out.

When she was 8 Bianca had asked her parents what the midnight black designs meant. She had been met with one answer ; she was unique, different from anybody else. And when she grew older, she would learn it meant that she was alone. She had also always wondered why she must dress as she did and why no other child her age did the same but was always too afraid for the answer. In her heart, she knew that she did not want to know why she was so different from the other kids.

At the age of 10 Bianca had become accustomed of the whispers of the schoolyard. They all had a common theme and that was the question or why she was always covered head to toe in clothing, even in the warmest weather where the sun would beat down on her fellow classmates who tanned in contrast of her startling pale herself had been curious why Mama and Papa insisted on the amount of coverage. Yet they always prevailed with the same answer ; we do not want anybody to use your body against your own will. They said their simple resolution had been to make sure nobody saw it. They said it was because they feared what would happen to their precious baby girl. So, she continued on with their choice in clothing for her. The clothing was to protect her. She did this with one thought on repeat in her mind ; her parents would never lie to her.

Now at the age of 12 Bianca allowed a dangerous feeling to overcome her. Curiosity. She wondered how the sun felt against her skin and she longed to know. And so she sought to find out. One day after school she slipped into her small backyard, the quant yard was surrounded by a tall looming fence which allowed a feeling of privacy and security to envelop her. Knowing her parents would not be home until darkness crept across the sky, Bianca began to strip the multiple layers off. When she was left bare and naked on her lawn. With no shame as she was too entranced by what she saw Bianca stared down at her body. Of course, she has seen the markings before but seeing them in the radiating sunlight was simply astonishing.

They were a beautiful stark against her pale skin, yet a contrast that nobody would find alluring. The inking was in separate batches, one trailed from the inside of her left wrist and wrapped around her forearm to the bend of her elbow. Another starts at the end of her left collarbone and trails below it across her chest and delves between her two undeveloped breasts. Following that trail another intricate pattern ran across her flat stomach, across her left hip and wrapped around to the inside of her left thigh to the side of her knee. Another detailed inking trailed from the base of her right foot and circled around her calf to her knee. The second last marking was an elaborate design on her right bicep that extended onto her shoulder blade.

Although she could not see it as of now the largest pattern ran from base of her hair line and trailed across her left shoulder blade and down to the mid point on her back ; from there the ink left a small bit of space before spreading down the small of her back and into intricate patterns that extended across to her right hip.

Bianca glanced down at her palms noticing they were bare of ink. While the palms were bare, the top of her left hand a pattern extended to the tip of her middle finger.

The dark patterns resembled henna designs that she had seen on girls at school.

The black ink map of delicate patterns that extended across her body were unique in design. They were thick lines that ran elegantly across her skin in patterns and detail. The entire design was intricate and smooth, and most importantly beautiful in her eyes. Why did she have to hide her skin from the sunlight?

And then she felt the blinding pain. Moments after she had fully revealed herself she was overcome with the brilliance of the sun. She had heard of children getting sun burns but she was sure they had never been like this. Bianca let out a small shrill scream as she felt her skin singe.

And then it was over with.

As she lay exhausted and covered in sweat on the fresh grass Bianca felt something she had never felt before. She felt complete and peaceful. As she laid there in the serene calm she almost forgot the blinding pain that had just occurred.

Rolling over she sat up and took glance down at her body to see if she had sustained any bodily damage. Gasping she stared wide eyed at her once ink black markings. Although they had once been beautiful they were now glowing a mesmerizing gold. It was like she had liquid gold painted onto her skin that radiated a glow in which she was sure would allow her to scare away the darkness which all children feared.

She once again glanced at her palms to see that bright glows had originated in them. Small wisps of light had begun to gather in her palms. Golden and bright. It was simply astonishing.

Bianca for some odd reason felt a new strong urge. Hesitant, she reached out her left hand to one of the small rock gnomes her mama had in the lawn. Subconsciously the golden light began to head to her left palm which gathered the energy. In her palm was now a ball of wisps of golden light and in the centre a small almost blinding white spark. With a simple thought the orb shot to the gnome before spreading across it and consuming the stone statue in energy and disintegrating it.

Eyes wide in shock, Bianca stared at her hands before looking to where the gnome once stood. Slowly, a hesitant smile crept onto her face. She was a superhero! Just like the comics. Consumed with excitement she had never heard the front door open and the shouting of her name coming from her mama and papa and definitely not when they bursted through the backdoor in search for her only to see her new abilities.

The smile quickly dropped when she heard a crash and a gasp coming from the direction of the door. Bianca met the eyes of her mama and papa and the remnants of the groceries on the small trail.

"Mama! Papa! Look what I did! I'm a superhero!" She chatted excitedly at her parents.

She was met only by the wide gazes which held fear. Fear of whatever their daughter was.

Furrowing her brow, Bianca began to make her way towards her parents to see what she had done wrong. Maybe mama was upset she had destroyed one of her gnomes?

Yet as soon as she began to take a step closer her mama started screeching at her, telling her to stay away. Saying she was a freak. A freak. No, she was a superhero wasn't she?

Frightened by the sudden burst of noise and panic coming from her mama and papa Bianca felt the warmth run through her body once again. This time it had the undesired effect of protecting the users body from what it deemed as a threat. Bursting from her hands the wisps of golden light formed a dome around the young girl. They then sent a rush of energy at the shooken parents knocking them backwards into the wall of the house. Bianca was scared of what was happening. Why couldn't she control what was happening? She couldn't let the powers the sun gave her hurt her parents. She wasn't a superhero, maybe she really was a freak.

As she remained in a sense of panic the energy field around her began to multiply in strength. When this happened, the before radiant designs on her body began to dim slowly until with one final burst of energy they smoothed back into pitch black lines once more.

In her state of fright Bianca raced to where her parents lay. She frantically called to her mama and papa praying for a response.

But no response came and so she sat, sobbing beside her two parents as the sun dropped behind the hills and let the darkness take over the sky.

Later in the night her parents awoke to find their naked 12 year old daughter passed out beside them with tears traced down her checks. This was the moment that the two adults made a decision that would change the rest of the child's life.

They made the decision to completely seal her off from the world.

They reasoned it was because she was a danger to society. If she could do this to her own parents then what couldn't she do to a stranger? She was just too different. The markings they could hide but this? They couldn't. And in a way, her parents loved her. They loved her enough to keep her with them and not give her away. They loved her enough to keep her hidden from the world so that she wouldn't have to face the toll that her mutation would take on her for another few years. Yet, she would grow up with the belief that the complete reason her parents kept her locked away was to ensure their lives and their reputation.

Bianca was now 14. It had been two years since she had absorbed the suns energy into her own body and manipulated it into obliterating that gnome. Which had possibly become known as the worst day of her life.

After that day her life had changed drastically. She had awoken fully clothed in the damp cement basement of her home. Her parents had cautiously told her that she was a danger to everybody and it was best that she was confined to the small basement.

In fear of her new ability she had frantically nodded along with their words.

The windows had been boarded up, as to not let the warm rays of sunlight escape into her confinement. The door at the top of the stairs was bolted and would only be opened twice a day when her papa would come in and drop off a meal for her. It was never her mama, she was too shocked papa said. Bianca didn't believe that. The truth was that her mama was too afraid of her.

Locked into this solitary for two years had left a toll on Bianca's mind and body. She was deprived of sunlight even more so than any other human being. Before, although covered so as to not allow the sunlight to touch her markings which she figured out was how her body absorbed the energy, Bianca had still been in contact with the sun which was enough for her growing body. Yet now, it was leaving a definitive mark on her with the deprivation she felt. The feeling of being stripped away from your life force was agonizing. Alike to having your lungs ripped out from your body. How could you breathe without them? It was simple you couldn't and you'd die. And that was what Bianca was doing ; dying.

It was a slow, dreadfully drawn out process but she knew. As her body was left without the energy source she slowly slipped away day after day.

Despite being so far from the door, as far from any normal beings in the outside world, Bianca could still hear the tell tale sound of knocking on wood that was enacted from visitors. It was a small house after all. Curled on the small cot left in the basement, Bianca stretched her hearing to listen to whatever the visitor wanted.

It wasn't long before she heard an argument ensue. This was followed by heavy foot steps coming towards the basement door. Bianca was put into a once again state of panic, had somebody found out about her? What if they hurt her parents to get to her?

The door was opened with little struggle and soon two pairs of shoes were clattering down the stairs. In her cot she continued to stare at ground, refusing to see the men's faces.

When Bianca heard a new voice in her head she forced herself to look up and stare at the two men in astonishment.

 _"Hello, I am Charles Xavier and this is my friend, Erik Lenhnsherr. We're here to help you, Bianca. You are not alone anymore, fear not."_


End file.
